Grounded: Western Fair Sky Ride gets dismantled

For around 10 years, it was fixture at the Western Fair.

Now, the Sky Ride lies in dismantled piles of metal in the casino parking lot, waiting for its third-party owner to sell it to to another fair, amusement park, or ski hill.

“It’s been a good ride,” said Mike Woods, chief operating officer of the Western Fair Association.

When the Sky Ride came to the Western Fair around 10 years ago, Woods said the association worked with several midway operators who would bring in different attractions. But in recent years, they’ve moved towards a single partnership with North American Midway.

“As we look to expand and grow, and bring new ridership and new rides to the site — we decided to commit to one organization… they primarily have brought a whole new selection of rides in.”

Crews were working to take the structure down on Wednesday afternoon. Parts of the two towers — one near the front doors of the casino, and the other near the gates off of Rectory Street — were lying on flatbed trailers. The wheels of the pulley system and the chords that strung patrons along, disassembled and resting on the ground.

Workers said the job would continue Thursday.

“Taking it up and taking it down is… a significant task,” said Woods.

He pointed out that North American Midway has provided the fair with 50 rides, and will be introducing new rides for the 2017 midway lineup.